If I Eat My Veggies
by Willow25
Summary: Set during the Christmas Break before Millennium, Mulder and Scully share a day off.


If I Eat my Veggies…

By Willow25

Spoilers: Everything through Season Seven up to "Amor Fati"

A/N: If I had half of Chris Carter's imagination, I wouldn't need to steal his characters. The ones you know belong to him and Fox Television. I promise not to hurt them...although the degree of injury depends on who you ask.

An earlier version of this story was published to Gossamer in 2000, and when I was cleaning up following my devastating computer crash of Fall 2005, I decided that it needed revision, and a new home. I hope you enjoy, and please review if you do.

* * *

Friday December 24, 8:10 AM

Dana Scully's Apartment

Scully felt something warm and wet on her face. She cautiously opened one eye to find her puppy Bones leaning over her, licking her face. When she rolled onto her back, the dog began to yip excitedly, and run in circles. Scully laughed, watching the dog run around wagging its little tail until its paws got tangled in the comforter and Bones toppled over. He sat there looking confused until Scully untangled him.

"So much for sleeping in. Come on boy, let's get some breakfast."

Scully carried Bones into the kitchen, and realized she didn't have dog food. She took a leftover burger out and cut it up, then turned on the coffee pot and the radio. Elvis' Blue Christmas came on, and she chuckled, remembering the previous night. Almost without thinking she picked up the phone and dialed Mulder's number.

* * *

1:45

Mulder knocked on Scully's door, balancing two bouquets and a ten pound bag of puppy chow. Several loud yips from inside greeted his knock, and as Scully opened the door Bones jumped up on Mulder's leg, still barking.

"That's one hyper dog." Mulder smiled sheepishly as Scully took in the dog food and flowers. "Merry Christmas, Scully."

Scully smiled and took the flowers as Mulder carried the dog food into the kitchen, Bones hot on his trail. "Merry Christmas, Mulder. What did I do to deserve two bouquets?"

"One's for your mom. What's with the dog?" Mulder was trying to walk without stepping on Bones, who was running zigzag across his path.

Scully couldn't help chuckling. "Bones, here boy." At the sound of her voice the puppy raced across the room and barreled into her arms. Scully took a large vase from a cabinet over the dishwasher and filled it with water, balancing dog and flowers. "Want some coffee?"

"Sure." Mulder sat down at the kitchen table with his coffee, listening to 'Here Comes Santa Clause' playing on the kitchen radio. "When do we have to be at your Mom's?"

"Around three. What do you think we should do with Bones?"

Mulder glanced at the Jack Russell puppy in Scully's arms as she sank into a chair across from him. "Well, it seems like your choices are lock him in the bathroom or bring him with us."

Scully looked down at her new dog, who yipped in response and wagged his tail. "What do you think, Bones, want to take a drive?" The puppy wagged its tail and licked her face, and Mulder chuckled.

"When did you develop the ability to talk to the animals, Dr. Scully?"

"Mulder, it's the tone of your voice they respond to, not the words."

"Then why bother asking him, if you're going to get the same response no matter what you ask?"

Scully rolled her eyes and looked at her watch. "Do you want that coffee to go? We better get going if we're going to be in Baltimore by three, and stop at a pet store on the way."

"Why do we need to stop? Oh, yeah I'll take some to go."

Scully took two travel mugs from her cabinet and divided the rest of pot between the two of them before dumping the rest and shutting down the kitchen. "We need a leash and some toys. And a carrier for the car. Ready?"

"Yup, Let's go."

* * *

Maggie Scully's House Baltimore, MD

4:31

Maggie Scully opened her door to find her daughter carrying a puppy in a blue carrier, and Fox Mulder carrying flowers and a bag of gifts. "Merry Christmas, sweetheart; Merry Christmas, Fox."

Scully smiled and kissed her Mom on the cheek. "Sorry we're late, traffic was murder."

"I'm not surprised. Who's this little guy?" Mrs. Scully opened the carrier door, and the puppy licked her hand in appreciation.

"This is Bones." Scully put the puppy down to take off her coat and he was immediately sniffing the house and Mrs. Scully, getting a feel for his surroundings.

"Merry Christmas, Mrs. Scully. These are for you." Mulder held out the flowers and the bag of gifts. Maggie took them from him, and gave Mulder a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you, Fox, the flowers are lovely. Take off your coat and stay a while."

* * *

5:00

"Excuse me, I have to make a phone call." Mulder got up from the kitchen table where he and Dana had been sitting.

"You can use the phone in the living room Fox." Called Maggie from the stove, where she was basting the small turkey they would have for dinner. "We have about a half hour until the food is ready."

"Thanks Mrs. Scully."

"Fox, how many times have I told you to call me Maggie?"

"Sorry. Maggie." Dana followed Mulder with her eyes as he went into the living room by way of the front hall, picking up his cell phone along the way.

"Dana, the potatoes are ready. Do you want to mash them?"

Dana smiled, getting up from her seat and placing Bones on the floor, where he promptly ran into the living room. When the kids had all lived at home, her job on family holidays had been to mash the potatoes. She got the butter and milk out of the fridge on the way.

Same time, in the living room...

"Hi Mom, Merry Christmas."

"Fox. How are you? I called earlier, but you weren't home."

"I'm at Mrs. Scully's house in Baltimore."

"Oh." There was a moment of awkward silence. Mrs. Mulder had been after her son to take some time off and visit over the holiday, but he'd insisted that he might be needed at work. After his hospital stay a few months earlier, and his knowledge of her complicity in…Something… Mulder was leery of spending any time alone with her. She was a little upset that he was with another family.

Just then Bones ran into the room. The puppy jumped up onto his lap with a series of happy yelps, and crawled across Mulder's body to sniff the phone. Mulder couldn't help laughing.

"Mom, this is Scully's puppy, Bones. She got him for Christmas."

Mrs. Mulder had recovered her manners on the other end of the line. "How is Dana?"

Just then Mrs. Scully's phone on the table beside him began to ring. Maggie called out from the kitchen, "Fox, dear, could you get the phone for me?"

"Dana's fine... She's around here someplace... Could you hold on a minute?"

"Fox..."

"Just a second Mom. I got it, Maggie." Mulder picked up the phone. "Scully residence."

An annoyed voice came over the line. "Hello? This is Charles, who's this?"

Mulder gulped. "Hello. I'm Dana's partner, Fox Mulder. Your mom asked me to pick up the phone. Hold on."

Mulder put the phone down and called out. "It's your youngest son. Mom, are you still there?"

"Yes... I'd better go, you're busy."

"No, really, it's OK..."

"Fox, I'll call you tomorrow." Mulder sat there listening to the dial tone, frowning at his cell phone. And Bones, who had been sniffing the phone lying on the side table, knocked it onto the floor.

"Bones, quit." Mulder picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"I'm still waiting to hear my mother or sister's voice. How do I know you're who you say you are?"

"Would anyone else be on your Mom's couch, wrestling the phone away from your sister's puppy?"

The phone in the kitchen picked up. "Hello, Chuck."

"Hey Patty, why is your partner at Mom's house for dinner? And when did you get a dog?"

Mulder hung up the phone. Patty? He knew Scully's voice, but he'd never heard her called anything but Dana by a member of her family. He gave Bones one of the toys they had picked up earlier and headed back to the kitchen. Scully was talking on the ph one, laughing at something, while Mrs...Maggie cut broccoli into a steamer.

"Are you going to make me eat that?" Mulder wrinkled his nose as he stepped closer to the stove.

"Yes, you have to eat vegetables."

Maggie finished her cutting, threw the stems away, and took the phone from Dana.

Scully turned to Mulder, who had sunk into a kitchen chair. As she sat next to him Bones ran into the room and jumped onto Mulder's lap. "I think he likes you better than me."

"I'm not cooking, I'm allowed to pick him up."

Scully reached out to take the dog from him, and brushed a kiss on his cheek along the way. Mulder grinned as she sat back down. "Why does your brother call you Patty?"

Scully blushed. "You remember Charlie Brown, right?"

Mulder looked at her blank faced. He nodded.

"His name is Charlie, so I started calling him Chuck when we were kids, so he called me Patty, like Peppermint Patty. It just stuck."

Mulder grinned, at the thought of a young Scully teasing her little brother. And then he remembered the broccoli. "Hey Scully."

"Yes Mulder."

"If I eat my veggies do I get another kiss?" he asked quietly.

Scully smirked at him and arched one eyebrow, leaning towards him. "If you eat seconds you might even get tongue." Scully whispered.

Mulder beamed, and forgetting where they were he leaned even closer, aiming for her lips.

"Freeze, you two. No fooling around in the kitchen." Maggie grinned.

Scully turned bright red. Mulder backed up, and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry Mrs. Scully."

"Fox, I already told you to call me Maggie. Charlie, I have to go. I'll call you tomorrow, honey. Send the kids my love." Maggie hung up the phone and turned to the partners who were still sitting. "When were the two of you planning on telling me about this?"

"Mom, it's nothing..."

"I noticed. Which means it's been going on for a while."

Mulder smiled. "Actually, it hasn't. We're just making up for lost time."

"Mulder!" Scully had turned even redder. "It's not like that..."

"It's not, Scully?"

"Well, not exactly... Mulder stop grinning."

"I think we need some privacy."

"I agree. Why don't you two go turn on the tree and pick out some dinner music. I can finish up." Maggie smiled as Fox took Dana by the hand and led her into the living room. She was elated.

"Mulder, why did you say anything? Now Mom and Charlie think we're together." They separated to carry out Maggie's orders, Mulder plugging in the tree, Scully turning on the radio to an easy listening station playing Christmas carols.

"We aren't together?" Mulder frowned. Maybe he'd misread the signals she had been sending out.

"Mulder, what gave you the impression we were?"

"Other than helping you name your dog, kissing you, and being invited to your Mom's for Christmas?"

"Yeah Mulder, other than that." Scully grinned and stood.

Mulder took a deep breath and hoped for the best. "How about the fact that you know I love you, and you would never lead me on knowing that." Mulder pulled her close, swaying to Perry Como crooning White Christmas. "I told you I loved you for the first time almost a year ago. You know if we're going to be kissing and all, it wouldn't hurt to tell me how you feel, you know; give me a clue here."

Scully flushed and pulled him closer. Moment of truth... "Alright, I love you. You know that. But we shouldn't be together like this. I want it, but it's so dangerous. I don't want you hurt, and if keeping you safe meant never telling you how I felt I was willing to keep it to myself..." Mulder pulled back and placed a finger over her lips to silence her emotional outburst.

"Then why tell me now?"

"Because now my Mom knows. We're going to have to decide how to un-tell her, because she might tip someone off and..."

"Scully, you spend too much time with me."

Mulder looked into his partner's beautiful blue eyes and smiled. He had never thought this conversation would be this easy. "I'll make a deal with you, OK?" Scully nodded. "Tonight, we enjoy each other. Just so we know what being together is like. Later I go home, and we take a week apart; no hanging out while we're on vacation. We get a chance to think things over, and a chance to see if anyone noticed us tonight. And then we talk again. OK?"

Scully smiled. "If we were together would you let me call you Fox?"

Mulder chuckled and wrinkled his nose. "Not unless you did something really great to make it worth the torture."

Scully frowned slightly, thinking of the other women in his past, and the fact that they had called him by his first name. "So, what did Phoebe and Diana do to receive permission?"

Mulder's smile disappeared. "They never had it. Both of them ignored me when I told them to just call me Mulder." Mulder looked into her eyes, and recognized a small insecurity. "Do you want to call me Fox?"

Scully smiled faintly, almost misty-eyed at the fact that she would be the first person he had actually given permission to call him by the dreaded first name. She spoke quietly, almost afraid to break the spell of slow-dancing with her partner on Christmas. She had never seriously considered this path for them, no matter how much she'd wanted it, and she was in awe of how right it felt. "If we were together, it would be nice to be on a first name basis." Scully leaned up and brushed his lips softly with hers. "Then again, I'm so used to calling you Mulder, and I don't want to make you uncomfortable." She smiled and cupped his cheek in her palm. "What do you say we table the name discussion until a later date?"

Mulder considered for a minute, then smiled. "Alright, then."

Maggie called from the kitchen. "Fox. Dana. Dinner's ready."

Scully sighed as she pulled out of Mulder's arms. "We should tell Mom the whole story."

He nodded, and held her hand as they walked to the dining room.


End file.
